10 Tips to Prepare for Competitive Exams

“Do you want to make it to your dream college?”, ” Do you want to crack the exams and come out with flying colours?”, “ Do you want to make your parents and teachers, and most of all, yourself, proud?” and “Do you want to live the future you have imagined?” are common questions that lakhs of students encounter every year. It is every student’s dream to secure high scores and get into a prestigious college. It is the first step towards the future they dream of having, whether it lies in pursuing the career of their choice or the research field they are interested in.

Every year, lakhs of students battle and sweat it out in the competitive exams, whether it is the IIT-JEE and other engineering entrance exams, the medical entrance exams, the CAT, the GRE, the CLAT or the highly competitive UPSC exams. The exam season is full of frenzy and late night studies, last minute brush-ups and sleepless nights. The whole atmosphere is filled with anxiety and stress. Students prepare assiduously for the exams all the year round. Competitive exams are the deciders. The ranks you secure in these will decide your future course of action. It is then no wonder that there is so much hype surrounding them. Besides, a person who successfully clears a competitive exam is looked at with much awe and respect.If you top any exam, there is no looking back! The world is your oyster! Nevertheless, in this article, I have written about few ways to prepare effectively for competitive exams, which will give you that extra edge. Read them and try to follow them sincerely, if you are an eager aspirant!

10. Join a good coaching institute

This is the first step that you should take. Self study and coaching at school may not always be sufficient. Competitive exams are quite different from the usual college level or school level exams and the Board exams. You need to follow a different method to approach these exams. A reputed and credible coaching institute will help you with this requirement. Attend the classes regularly and follow them diligently.

9. Get familiar with the pattern

Get yourself acquainted with the pattern of the various exams you may be taking up. This will help you solve the paper better and be more confident in your approach, since you already have a taste of what’s going to come your way. Take mock tests and see how you fare in them. Take them seriously and improve upon your performance each time. Get in touch with your seniors and take their valuable advice. Approach your teachers and mentors for their valuable guidance.

Also, have a look at the previous years’ papers and try to solve them. You will get a very good idea of how your paper will feel like.

8. Stay calm and meditate

It is natural to get tensed and anxious during such times of stress. If you are not doing well in your mock tests, you get all the more worried. However, for your utmost and optimum performance, try to remain calm and composed. Only then can you figure out where your mistake lies. Do not lose your cool. Your mind will work its best when you are calm. Try and practice meditation on a regular basis. Not only does it calm you down, but it also boosts your memory and reasoning skills.

7. Eat healthy and exercise

This is one overlooked aspect of preparation. Your diet and health takes a backseat, amidst all the chaos! Do not compromise on your diet and sleep pattern. A balanced diet is the most important thing to follow for good health. You will also improve your immunity and not fall sick often, if you follow the right diet. Try and exercise regularly, at least for four or five days a week, an hour each day. It boosts your metabolism (obviously!) and your energy levels! You will then gain more stamina and this is sure to help you in your preparation.

6. Be disciplined

Discipline is very important to achieve anything. Follow a strict routine and stick to it. Do not deviate from it. Follow a regular sleep routine. Sleep the minimum number of hours required for it is necessary. About seven to eight hours everyday. Do not sleep for too long, or it will be the only thing you do! Take power naps in between, during the day, but not for too long. Make a timetable, work out a plan and execute it sincerely! Follow healthy habits. Very important: Do not heed to distractions! Be focused!

5. Stay very energetic and motivated

Motivation is an extremely important factor that determines whether you succeed or not! Stay very energetic and highly motivated. It is only motivation that can induce positive feelings and thoughts in you, to work very hard and reach out towards your goal. One failure must not deter your spirit. Your will power must be very strong. Make your determination unbreakable! You should make up your mind to succeed, no matter what. Perseverance is the word! Persevere, try harder and never give up! Obstacles are tiny hurdles that seem big when you cannot focus properly!

4. Focus on your strengths: The SWOT Analysis

Try the SWOT Analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is a very effective technique that tells you your strengths and weaknesses. Through this technique, you will know where your strengths lie and where exactly you go wrong. Work hard to overcome your weaknesses. Give extra time to them. Analyze as to how you can minimize them. Do not hesitate to seek professional help if necessary. At the same time, make sure that your strengths and plus points make you stand out. Polish your strengths and try to perfect them.

3. Study and practice everyday

Yes, studying on a regular basis is a MUST. I cannot stress on how important this point is! Do not at any cost, I reiterate, do not procrastinate! Finish your work on a daily basis and do not keep anything pending for the next day. You may get many doubts while studying. Get them cleared from your professors or teachers as soon as possible. Practice makes you perfect. Practice everyday. It is the only way to excel in your subjects. Practice different kinds of questions or sources. Refer to various methods and solutions, from many reliable sources. If you practice continuously, you will see great improvement in your performance.

2. Be thorough with the fundamentals and adopt the right strategy

It is imperative and demanding that you get your basics right! Brush up on your fundamentals. This should in fact be the first step you take, lest you should find it too complex later on. Without getting the fundamentals right, it is difficult to proceed with the later concepts of the subject. Therefore, work very hard if you are not very good at the basics. No matter how hard it is or how much time it take, trust me on this, it is worth the effort! The rest of the journey becomes easy once you accomplish this!

Make very sure that you adopt the right strategy to prepare and attend the exam. Many times, success eludes students due to the incorrect approach.

1.Time management: the key to success!

Time Management is the most important aspect of your preparation. It all comes down to this: how you manage your time. Whether it is while you are preparing for your exams or when are attending your exam. While you are preparing, do not while away all of your time. Time is very precious! It is gold. Try to make best use of it. Do not indulge in activities that are useless. Do something worthwhile.

While attending your exam, make sure you allot proper time slots to each section and attempt it within that, lest you should mess it up!

Last, but not the lease, revise very well few days before the exam. The night before the exam, set your mind free and get plenty of rest!